Members of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ruling coalition joined opposition lawmakers yesterday in calling for the Israeli leader and his defense minister to resign after parts of a government report criticizing their handling of last year's war in Lebanon were leaked to local media.

Officials close to the investigation confirmed TV reports that the panel concluded Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz made hasty and ill-judged decisions at the outset of the war. The report found these errors were compounded by their lack of experience and unfamiliarity with defense issues, the officials said.

Olmert's office declined comment until official publication of the report today, but aides said he was confident he would weather the storm and that he had no intention of quitting.

Olmert made no mention of the report in his opening statement at the weekly Cabinet meeting. Peretz also did not comment.

Olmert appointed the commission last year to stave off calls for a full-scale judicial inquiry into the government's performance during the war, which began when Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a July 12 cross-border raid.

Although the five-member commission, headed by a retired judge, has no authority to order resignations, a harsh report could be the final blow to Olmert's grasp on power. Heavy public criticism of the war, along with a string of corruption investigations, have sent his approval rating into free fall.

Opposition lawmakers from the small right-wing National Union party said yesterday they planned to submit bills to dissolve parliament and force early elections. But Olmert - whose government's standing has already been weakened by various corruption cases - could be buoyed by coalition partners who might prefer to keep the unpopular prime minister in power rather than face a disgruntled electorate.

Olmert has been widely criticized for failing to achieve his goals of returning the soldiers or destroying Hezbollah, which fired nearly 4,000 of rockets into northern Israel. Soldiers returning from the battlefield also have complained of poor training, conflicting orders and shortages of ammunition and food.

The interim report will analyze the first days of the fighting, when the war's objectives were formulated, and the six years between Israel's May 2000 pullout from southern Lebanon and the outbreak of the conflict.

According to the people familiar with the investigation, the panel concluded that Olmert failed to sufficiently question the army's battle plans, publicly stated his war aims without ensuring they were attainable and failed to demand a clear exit strategy. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending release of the report.

But after sections of the report reached the Israeli media, a growing number of critics, including members of the ruling coalition, called on Olmert to step down.

Even members of his Kadima Party only gave lukewarm support for their leader.

"Members of Kadima all understand the need first and foremost to preserve the party," lawmaker Yoel Hasson told Army Radio. "I really think the prime minister will win the support of Kadima."

In addition to its criticism of Olmert and Peretz, the interim report will say Halutz did not provide political leaders with a sufficient range of military options, played down the Hezbollah rocket threat and silenced dissenting opinions within the army command, Israeli media reported.

Source: China Daily/agencies